This penbox, by one of the great lacquer painters of the second half of the nineteenth century, is decorated in the artist's signature gul-u-bul-bul (rose and nightingale) style in a palette of beige, gold and black. It contains a small spectacle case with the same decorative motif that fits into the sliding compartment. The inscription, which appears at the top and bottom edges of the lid, tells us that it was made for the Qajar prince, Kamran Mirza, who was the third son of the ruler, Nasir al-Din Shah (r.1848–96).
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Artwork Details
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Title:Pen Box and Glass Case
Artist:Fathallah Shirazi (Iranian, active 1850s–80s)
Date:mid-19th century
Geography:Made in Iran
Medium:Lacquer
Dimensions:L: 8.66 in (22 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Dara Zargar, 2018
Object Number:2018.664a–d
Pen Box and Spectacle Case
This pen box has an unusual feature; it includes a small spectacle case that fits inside its sliding tray. Painted by the court artist Fathallah Shirazi, both containers are covered with gul-u-bulbul (rose-and-nightingale) designs in his distinctive palette of tan, gold, and black. Delicately rendered birds and butterflies are scattered among branches that bear a dazzling array of blossoms and bursting buds, a motif that decorated a wide variety of lacquer objects, including caskets, mirror cases, and book covers of the period. The inscription, which appears at the top and bottom edges of the lid, provides the artist’s name and alludes to the recipient, prince Kamran Mirza.
Maryam Ekhtiar in [Gifts of Art 2020]
Inscription: The inscription at the top and bottom edges of the lid reads: bi-jahat-i taqdim-i huzur-i bahir al-anvar, hazrat-i vala Na'ib al-Saltana Amir Kabir, ruhi fada It was completed for presentation to the one of dazzling light, His exalted Excellency Na'ib al-Salatana, Amir-e Kabir — may my soul be sacrificed for him. Work of Fathulla Shirazi (Translation from Sotheby's London 2012 sale catalogue)
Prince Kamran Mirza, Iran (from mid-19th century); Prince Abd al-Samad Khan Momtaz al-Saltana, Paris, France (until d. 1954); sale, Pierre Bergé et Associés, Paris, June 17, 2010, lot 25; sale, Sotheby's, London, April 25, 2012, lot 491 (to Zargar); Dara Zargar, New York, NY (2012–18, gifted to MMA)
Musée du Louvre Lens. "The Rose Empire: Masterpieces of 19th Century Persian Art," March 28, 2018–July 23, 2018, no. 246.
"17 June 2010." In Pierre Bergé, Paris. Paris, 2010. no. 491.
"March 28–July 23, 2018." In L'Empire des Roses: Chefs d'ouevres de l'art persan du 19th siècle. France, 2018. no. 246, p. 257, ill.
"March 28–July 23, 2018." In The Rose Empire : Masterpieces of 19th Century Persian Art. France, 2018. no. 246, ill.
Bantz, Jennifer, ed. Gifts of Art : The Met's 150th Anniversary. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020. pp. 96, 197, ill. fig. 96 (color).
"London 25 April 2012." In Arts of the Islamic World. London: Sotheby's, London, 2012. no. 491, p. 73, ill.
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